Welcome to Rappler, a social news network where stories inspire community engagement and digitally fuelled actions for social change. Rappler comes from the root words "rap" (to discuss) + "ripple" (to make waves).

(We need information. Even if we have 10 million sacks of rice, if you don't know where to put it, where we will distribute it, it's useless. The first action is really to provide information.)

He added: "We would like to encourage everyone to be information responders. Share the right information."

During the relaunch, Ambil showed the new dashboard of the Agos eBayanihan platform which partners can access during times of disasters.

"Volunteers [and] information responders have been asking us to tweak the technical features of our Agos platform to serve organizations better, kasi individual po ang entry point sa Agos (because the entry point to Agos is for individuals) but now, with the development of the new dashboard, you can see that you can manage reports already in the same platform that you'll be providing reports."

Rappler Content and Strategy Head Gemma Mendoza said that while the Agos alert map is a big part of Agos, "Agos is more than that."

"As journalists, we cover disasters a lot….Year in and year out of covering disasters often, you begin to think, how can things be different? And how can our efforts make more sense? That's the reason why we put up Agos: We want what we do to be more meaningful," Mendoza explained.

She said disaster preparedness used to be neglected in news coverages before, but the level of awareness has improved in the past years.

"The content on Agos has gained millions and millions of page views already. Meaning, that's awareness, that's a reflection of the level of awareness that we have raised over the years for content not just on response, not just during the times when the disasters are already there, but also on content that people can use to prepare to mitigate risks, to prevent disasters to begin with," she added.

Mendoza also introduced Rappler's crowdfunding initiative on Saturday, inviting partners to take part in sustaining Agos.

"The target is P500,000. If we can raise P500,000 for disaster awareness building, for training communities, and for building this platform that can allow us to collaborate, that can allow us to isolate, to find critical needs on the ground when disaster strikes, and will also help our communities appreciate and understand the information they need on a personal level to prepare for disasters and to prevent loss of lives."

NEGLECTED. Rappler Content and Strategy Head Gemma Mendoza said disaster preparedness used to be neglected in news coverages before, but the level of awareness has improved in the past years. Photo by Alecs Ongcal/Rappler

You can learn more about Agos and the crowdfunding initiative here. – Rappler.com

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Welcome to Rappler, a social news network where stories inspire community engagement and digitally fuelled actions for social change. Rappler comes from the root words "rap" (to discuss) + "ripple" (to make waves).